The Federal Reserve's balance sheet has undergone significant changes since 2007, reflecting its response to major economic crises. From a modest 0.9 trillion U.S. dollars at the end of 2007, it ballooned to approximately 6.76 trillion U.S. dollars by March 2025. This dramatic expansion, particularly during the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic - both of which resulted in negative annual GDP growth in the U.S. - showcases the Fed's crucial role in stabilizing the economy through expansionary monetary policies. Impact on inflation and interest rates The Fed's expansionary measures, while aimed at stimulating economic growth, have had notable effects on inflation and interest rates. Following the quantitative easing in 2020, inflation in the United States reached eight percent in 2022, the highest since 1991. However, by November 2024, inflation had declined to 2.7 percent. Concurrently, the Federal Reserve implemented a series of interest rate hikes, with the rate peaking at 5.33 percent in August 2023, before the first rate cut since September 2021 occurred in September 2024. Financial implications for the Federal Reserve The expansion of the Fed's balance sheet and subsequent interest rate hikes have had significant financial implications. In 2023, the Fed reported a negative net income of 114.3 billion U.S. dollars, a stark contrast to the 58.84 billion U.S. dollars profit in 2022. This unprecedented shift was primarily due to rapidly rising interest rates, which caused the Fed's interest expenses to soar to over 281 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. Despite this, the Fed's net interest income on securities acquired through open market operations reached a record high of 174.53 billion U.S. dollars in the same year.

The annual value of new banknotes printed in the United States varied significantly between 2002 and 2023, showing a clear downward trend in recent years. The peak was in 2012, when the Bureau of Engraving and Printing produced banknotes valued at 386.6 billion U.S. dollars. During the quantitative easing of 2021, 319.7 billion U.S. dollars worth of banknotes were printed, marking the third-highest figure within the period. By 2023, the value of new banknotes printed had dropped by half, reaching 162.4 billion U.S. dollars. At the same time, the value of currency in circulation reached 2.29 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023.

Graph and download economic data for Real M2 Money Stock (M2REAL) from Jan 1959 to Feb 2025 about M2, monetary aggregates, real, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Quarterly Financial Report: U.S. Corporations: Printing and Related Support Activities: Cash Dividends Charged to Retained Earnings This Quarter (QFR120323USNO) from Q4 2000 to Q4 2024 about retained earnings, dividends, support activities, printing, cash, finance, nondurable goods, earnings, corporate, goods, manufacturing, industry, and USA.

The cost to print Federal Reserve notes in the United States grew significantly between 2002 and 2022 and reached its highest value in 2022, at 919 million U.S. dollars. There was a particularly sharp increase between 2019 and 2022. While the cost of new currency rose sharply, the volume of banknotes printed decreased in 2022.